Various problems can occur when forming holes or recesses in the bone of a patient, or when resecting or microfracturing bone. When engaging in such surgical procedures, physicians sometimes employ drills, chisels or other mechanical devices to form such holes or recesses, or to resect or microfracture the bone. For example, a surgical drill may be employed to form a hole or recess, which requires careful application of force to the bone by the operating physician, with uncertain results owing to non-homogeneity of the bone and other factors such as chisel, punch or drill bit placement, chisel, punch or drill bit angle, the speed of the drill, drill bit type and other variables. Such mechanical devices and other surgical tools can provide equally unreliable and inconsistent results.
What is needed is a surgical instrument that eases the formation of holes or recesses in bone, or the resecting or microfracturing of same, that is highly repeatable, consistent and predictable in the application of force and energy.